Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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On recycling rates, one company is now charging for recycling. Recycling is only the second worst option. We need to reduce our waste. We need to lead in these Houses and start to speak to people about reducing their waste. I get depressed about illegal dumping, the level of which we could see when hedgerows died back this year. My God almighty, it was absolutely disgraceful. There are contractors, local authority staff and others out in rural areas gathering up the stuff. We must try to stop it. I note, in the context of impact indicators, that rate of household recycling went from 47% in 2013 to 45% in 2015. What was placed in landfill sites in the same period decreased by over one quarter, which is good news and shows that something is happening to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill sites. There was a slip of 2% in the household recycling rate when I would have thought it would have been moving upwards and onwards. I thought we had got the message across and that we had made huge gains. We are not living in a bubble and China has indicated that it will no longer accept plastic waste. Does the Minister have a briefing note on this issue to give an outline on what is happening in that respect? It is a major concern. What are the figures for the landfill levy, from which there is still a substantial fund? Will the Minister give a breakdown of where the money goes?